BELIEFS AND TRUTH

In the Manual for Teachers (M-58/61), ACIM© discusses the concept of all the magnitude of beliefs that the world has ever held, including all religions, theories, ideas and idols as compared to the TRUTH OF GOD. Considered in ITS Light, they all fade into nothingness, become unnecessary and unworthy of any thought whatsoever.

So, we can see from this that we don’t have to go out and “save the world” - because there isn’t any world to save. Also, we can keep all the little beliefs, opinions, and ideas we want, for as long as we need them, to see that they all amount to exactly NOTHING, and that “I need do nothing” except to accept the Atonement for ourseif. This is the certain and complete knowing of what we are and where we are forever, as God’s ONE SON, in Heaven, as Originally created.

Our Purpose (and God’s Purpose) in being “here” is to prove this to ourselves and to see that our “dream” of having “accomplished the separation” didn’t ever really happen and that there wasn’t ever any need for it to begin with. As our world, our bodies and our beliefs all hold no further interest for us, we simply enter into the “Happy Dream” of the Real World, which is the final step just before our “return” to Heaven, Home and ourselves as the Christ.

LIFE BEFORE TIME

In the Beginning God IS. Actually, there is no beginning because God (the Source, First Cause, etc.) has always been. However, it is difficult, if not impossible, for our finite minds to conceive of the infinite or the eternaL We have bought into the concept of time and place and now seem to be stuck in it. So, in order for us to talk about REALITY at all, we have to use the words we have invented and talk about a duality that doesn’t exist in a dimension we think is real. Therefore, this paper will be written as if our world, and its concepts had meaning and is our little island in a sea of confusion to stand upon and try to remember what is true. Whenever we need to get re-grounded, we need only return to the original thought of GOD IS, and then we cease to speak. That's it, that’s the whole ball of wax. There is nothing else inside IT or outside IT.

God’s Word is TRUTH. TRUTH doesn’t do anything - it just IS. The messenger of TRUTH is LOVE. LOVE is TRUTH in motion. It is the action, the thought, the concept that allows TRUTH to be understood by us. We need the concept - not GOD. HE already IS. HE is not concerned about anything else, because HE knows there IS nothing else. Even if we could involve HIM in our sorry dream, would we really want to? Then HE would be as crazy as we are, and we would not have a HOME go to when we are ready to wake up. Aren’t you glad GOD knows we are a dream we have made up and that we really are still with HIM in HEAVEN as originally created in perfect holiness, joy and rapture, eternally? HE is not concerned about our dream, but since we think we need it, HE has sent along HIS MEMORY in our mind, which is another Part of HIM, another thought which ACIM© calls the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is in each of our minds, since we conceive them to be separate, continuously calling to us to awaken and accept our TRUE REALITY.

In His Thought to be Total, GOD wanted to experience HIMSELF fully and witness to HIS OWN Perfection and Totality. So, to use words we can understand, GOD extended HIMSELF and created HIS ONE SON, THE CHRIST. We are that CHRIST, individually
and collectively. The SON is ONE thought and is still held in the Mind of God. So that is REALITY, that is where we live, that is where we are forever. That is LIFE. Any other thought or experience of being anything else outside of That is an illusion and is nothing at all.

GOD’S Creation, the CHRIST, is co-Creator with HIM and also experiences HIS Joy and
Completeness. That is our purpose in Heaven as we go on co-creating within the Mind of
God. That is the perfect, complete and eternal state called Heaven, the All-That-Is.
There is no place or thought where God ends and the Son begins, as They are One in
Mind. There is no difference between Them, except that God can create the Son, but the
Son cannot create God. So, that state of perfection that goes on, is Life where we have
our Reality, our Being, our Rapture and our Joy.

God only creates the Perfect, Complete, totally Joyous and EternaL HE creates nothing of form, nothing temporary, nothing imperfect and nothing outside the ONE. Therefore, since We are His Creation, We must have these qualities and be them. For us to think any less is the height of blasphemy and tells GOD He didn’t really do it. In that case we would usurp GOD’s Thought and place our own judgement in His place. We would ignore His place. Such a thought is, of course, unthinkable and totally impossible, but in our dream, we seem to have accomplished it.

Under that Perfect State of Oneness we can draw a line, which I shall call ‘the line of eternity’ and consider what we think we have done. As the popular axiom says, “Do you know what thought did? He didn’t do anything, he only thought he did”. Sounds crazy? It is. Nevertheless we think we did it. We accomplished the impossible, left GOD, OURSELF and HEAVEN and went into another state where we think we are real. This imagined happening is called “the separation” giving rise to our feeling of isolation, a vague uneasiness that something is missing without really being able to remember exactly what.

In all our wandering thoughts, we must always remember to keep coming back to the TRUTH and the realization that GOD IS. There is nothing outside of that, anything else
being mistaken thoughts of what we are.

A diagram of that state of being could be expressed as:—

Thoughts About Purpose

When WE as part of the Christ in Heaven, thought we fell asleep and dreamed our dream of “specialness” (I wonder if I could be better than perfect, or have more than everything —what ACIM© refers to as “the tiny, mad idea”), God, Our Father, knew we were but dreaming and that our dream could have no effect whatsoever on REALITY. And REALITY is God, His “Extension,” His Son the Christ, still a Thought in His Mind, so not apart from Him at all, living in perfect joy and rapture in Heaven, eternally. That is the Truth; that is total Oneness; that is all there IS. Everything outside of that (which, of course, is impossible) is a dream, an illusion, and does not even exist. That includes us as we experience ourselves here in our “world”, the entire universe, the cosmos and even every THOUGHT of any of it at all. Once the thought has been formed, we have already left REALITY and HEAVEN and are off and running with our illusion, our dream, our imagination. And we’re good at it - now we think it is all REAL and that Heaven is the illusion. Actually, we are not “human beings” occasionally visiting our spirituality; we are spiritual beings temporarily believing we are a body living in a world.

“But God knows otherwise.” He knows we are just asleep and dreaming and that we will awaken when we are ready. So He is not concerned. He also knows what we are “experiencing” is also not real and doesn’t exist. To think that God could or would come into our dream world would make Him as insane as us. Also, we would have no “home” in reality, no place to be when our dream is over. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t know anything about our dream or even care about it? But He does care about US, and wants us “back home” with Him. So, He took another of His Thoughts, the Holy Spirit, and “put it in each of our sleeping minds” to always guide us and remind us what we are and where we are forever. H.S. knows REALITY, but is also aware of what we consider real in our dream. His mission and purpose is to gently awaken us. The part of our mind (individually and collectively) that is “asleep” is but the tiniest part of our Holy Mind. It is as though we are 100% complete and perfect as we LIVE in Heaven and the tiny part that thinks it fell asleep is but 1% of the whole. This means that 99% of “each” of our minds is still safely “at home” where our “other life” goes on eternally. The little part that thinks it separated has had no effect at all upon our total Mind which goes on so that “not one note in Heaven’s song is missed.”

God knew that we were curious and that we wanted to experience ourself so said, “That’s o.k. my little children, you run along now and play. When you have learned that you are already happy and complete as I created You, come back home where I will be waiting with open arms and open heart.”

We eventually begin to realize that God loves us, that we are already complete and that what we thought would be “better”, really doesn’t work at all. Some Course teachers postulate the theory that when we “separated” from ourselves as part of the Christ, we “murdered” God, forming our own thought (our body-the world). ACIM© says that “the world was made as an attack on God”, and such was its effect although this writer and Course student is of the belief that such was not our intent when we “wandered away” on our “journey of exploration”. We were curious all right, but hardly vindictive. Curiosity is a trait of innocence, while vindictiveness is one of hate and fear. Since hate and fear have no place in Heaven (we invented them, together with time and space after we separated), our initial thought could not have been one of murder as that thought would not exist in Heaven.

So, it would seem that we are “here” with God’s blessing in our “negative proving ground” learning our lessons to prove to ourselves that no matter what we invent it won’t work and that we are already perfect, eternal and joyous beyond measure as we live in Heaven and as originally created. This is, the purpose that our world now has and is our purpose for being here. The Holy Spirit within each of our minds takes what we have made and uses it to teach us our lessons in awakening. Since time means nothing in eternity “but is tragic” here, we can take all the time we need to awaken. The whole awakening is a process, which may take many lifetimes, but begins with the decision that there must be “a better way” of living and thinking about our world and our passage through it.

The other 99% of each of us and God wait with infinite patience for our return when we choose to enter the Real World of peace and oneness, and be lifted back to Heaven.

The Course and Love

A Course In Miracles© says of itself, “This is a COURSE about LOVE because it is a course about YOU.” You are created out of the Truth of God which IS Love. This is your natural and total state. But in our imagination, our dream, we have wandered away from that Beinq of Perfect Love and now think we are something else. It is not so. We are still as we were created and NOTHING we do or think can alter that fact.

But as we begin to study ACIM©, we come across words and thoughts like, “You murdered God”, “hatred”, “vengeance”, “attack” and “specialness.” Stark words! Stark thoughts! Often at this point a student new to the Course will become very uncomfortable, afraid or fearful of the new thought system of ACIM© and not continue studying it or attending group meetings because its content is viewed as too uncomfortable and possibly downright dangerous. The LOVE that shines so brilliantly through the Course is missed in the darkness it describes that we have done.

Actually, the process is to look at that darkness, but not let it drown us; there together with the absolute Power of the Holy Spirit already and always in our mind, to see it and let it go so that we can see the LOVE that we and all our brothers are and have always been. If we get stuck in the “dark and uncomfortable” words of ACIM©, we will never get past them to the beautiful LOVE and LIGHT that the Course is. Be gentle with yourself, allow the time it takes to understand the lessons of love that WILL come through as the student advances. To put the book down as too hard, too dark or too dangerous is to once again retreat into the darkness of our fears and specialness that ACIM© is trying to deliver us from.

You ARE Love. You were created out of Love by Love. It was the only, total and single ingredient your Creator had to work with when He created you. To see yourself as any less than perfect, total and eternally joyous is to tell Him He didn’t do: it right and that you are something else other than the LOVE that you are. Such an insane thought is really unthinkable, regardless of what you believe you have made out of yourself since your original creation.

So BE the Love that you ARE. See only this in all your brothers, and with the help and guidance of your Holy Spirit, you will find your way through the darkness and into the LIGHT of Eternity and Heaven. BE LOVE.

MY MAGNIFYING GLASS

When I was just a young boy, I and many of my playmates had a very special treasure. It was a magnifying glass. This amazing piece of property was guarded very carefully, carried lovingly in the pocket and used with due reverence. We could go out into the yard, or to the park among the tall, pine trees and experience its magic. If it was held up to bright sunlight in just the right way, distance and angle, all that powerful sunlight could be compressed through its optical lens and directed into almost a laser—like intensity, a beam of intense heat and power. Once we selected a dry leaf, the lens could begin a pin-point burning, starting with a tiny hole, then spreading outward. If we blew very gently on the spot, it would begin to smolder, then burst into flame. What a wonder! And we made it happen!

Of course, in the back of our mind we knew the sunlight and the lens really did the work. Also we were aware that our Parent realized what we were doing, but that we were now judged old enough and responsible enough to be given the magnifying glass. This demonstration of trust engendered in us a surety that we would only use the lens wisely and with respect.

I was remembering fondly those long past days as I went into a meditation a few days ago. As I “came back” from my meditation’ through that “twilight zone” of lucid dreaming, a thought-voice said, “ACIM© is your magnifying glass.” That was the total transmission, but a picture began to form in my mind that looked like this -

This picture then etched its laser clarity right into my mind and I understood. We are finally “old enough”, “responsible enough” to have been given the magnifying glass. A Mind much greater than ours has watched our’ progress through the JOURNEY we have taken, and has said, “Now it can be given.” And so it is. ACIM© has been given to us to understand and use in wisdom and total gratitude.

But we have to pick it up, hold it in our hands just right so that its great LIGHT OF TRUTH can begin its fire in our heart-mind. We have always been ready, but NOW we know why. The reason we didn’t see it before was not the fault of the light, we weren’t aware of the “lens” and its use or the power of our own right mind. So the time of salvation is right NOW, with the LIGHT of God’s Great Love being magnified and burned into our willing and waiting mind.

There are many kinds of magnifying glasses. Some have fancy frames and handles, others a simple, optical lens. But they all do the same thing through their universal purpose. It is just that some do it quicker and more easily than others depending upon their quality of manufacture and ability to transmit the Light without outside interferences. There are many paths the light can follow depending upon which lens is chosen, but ACIM© is intense, direct, and true. If we aren’t aware of its delivery of light and truth, it is because we are still holding onto other interferences of our own making. The light is true and so is the lens. All we need do is be completely open to its message so our fire can start. Blow gently, and with great love, and feel the fire start in your heart.

“I AM ABOUT MY FATHER’S BUSINESS.”

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